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Insurance trade group urges higher threshold and simpler reporting in Oregon premium‑notice rules
Summary
At a Feb. 24, 2026, public hearing, the Northwest Insurance Council thanked the Financial Regulation Division for its draft rules but urged raising the proposed 2% "significant contribution" threshold to 5% or 10% and simplifying data-reporting requirements; written comments are due March 3.
Scott Glemke, a policy analyst with the Financial Regulation Division - DCBS and the hearing officer, opened a public hearing Feb. 24 on proposed rules implementing new state requirements for insurers to explain premium increases.
Glemke told attendees the hearing was conducted under the Oregon Administrative Procedures Act and that notice was published in the Oregon Bulletin on Jan. 28, 2026. He summarized the statutory basis as House Bill 2563, codified as ORS 742.075, and said the draft rules address four areas: when a factor "significantly contributes" to a premium increase; the form and contents of the required written response to policyholders; periodic data reporting by insurers to evaluate the notices' impact; and the form and manner of written requests insurers must respond to.
Kenton Bridal, president of the Northwest Insurance Council, offered the only oral testimony. He praised the division’s engagement with stakeholders and said the industry appreciates attempts to make the rule "workable and compliance friendly," but raised two substantive concerns. First, Bridal said the draft sets the "significant contribution" threshold at 2% and "we'd like to see that be higher, 5% or 10%." Second, he said language in the draft—identified in the hearing as section 125, subsection 2(a)–(c—appears overly complicated and may require more flexibility or future adjustment to align reporting with what is most useful to regulators and companies.
Bridal said the Northwest Insurance Council will submit written comments by the published deadline. Glemke reminded participants that written comments and any exhibits must be received by 5:00 p.m. Pacific on March 3, 2026, and provided the division rules coordinator, Karen Winkle, as the contact for submissions. He said he will compile a report after the close of the comment period for the division administrator to review and then closed the hearing at 1:11 p.m.
What happens next: the Financial Regulation Division will include oral and written comments in its rulemaking record and the administrator will review the hearing officer’s report as part of the formal rulemaking process. Written comments may still affect thresholds, reporting requirements, or the final drafting of sections cited during the hearing.
